CO-OPERATION 121 



Here is a brilliant example, without our going abroad, to Germany 

 or elsewhere, to show what co-operation may accomplish — co-opera- 

 tion thus far applied only to the supply of requirements of an indus- 

 trial population. Does it not make one wish to see a similarly 

 powerful fabric raised up for the benefit of agriculture, and, through 

 food-producing agriculture, for the nation at large, which at the 

 present time has its eyes steadily fixed, with large expectations for, 

 and large demands made upon, agriculture ? But from our particular 

 point of view, one would still rather think of the millions of humble 

 rural homes to be made glad by this beneficent fairy dealing out from 

 her cornucopia blessings to make those long neglected small folk 

 richer, happier, more useful to their country, more valuable all 

 round. A saving of something like 10 per cent, on household pur- 

 chases — and others, 2s. in the £ — will in the course of the year tell 

 up to a good deal. And it may be made to go towards the supply 

 of cash, for other, more directly "agricultural," co-operation, the 

 provision of funds for which not rarely occasions difficulty. 



Such achievement is well within our reach. Beginnings have 

 already been made. In our own country we in fact began before 

 any other nation, with co-operative supply for agriculture, some 

 decades ago. However, at the point then reached — a very un- 

 pretentious one — the movement has stood still, while industrial 

 co-operation has soared upward with an eagle's rapid flight. Our 

 agricultural population moves along slowly ; and it is not at all 

 certain that even at the present time its leaders are guiding it on 

 quite the proper way, or that it has very great inclination to follow 

 even if the guidance were more reliable. 



For examples of what has been accomplished we stand in no need 

 of looking abroad. In Germany and France agricultural co-opera- 

 tive supply has been built up, very gradually and very laboriously 

 at first, societies beginning by simply collecting orders and trans- 

 mitting them — acting, as it was put, " as letter-boxes." We 

 fortunately need waste no time on such preparatory gropings for the 

 reason already stated. We have a tree ready made upon which to 

 graft our improved slips. We have the ground ready explored by 

 societies such as the Eastern Counties Farmers' Co-operative Associa- 

 tion. There are more ; and we have even more powerful guns still 

 to bring into action. The secret of success in collective purchase 

 lies in the fulfilment of two conditions : " bulk " and efficient 

 organisation of transport and distribution. In both these points 

 our Co-operative Wholesale Society — which already does a large 

 specifically agricultural business, quite independently of the Agri- 



